Cultivator for trees.



UNITED STATES Patented January 10, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

CULTIVATOR FOR TREES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,870, dated January10, 1905.

Application filed August 15,1904. Serial No. 220,844.

To all 1072,0117 it may concern:

Be it known that I, DONALD ROBERTSON,

blacksmith, of Windsor, in the State of New South WVales andCommonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cultivators for Trees, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of the invention is to provide means for readily andefliciently working or cultivating to the desired depth the ground aboutthe trunks of trees by horse or draftanimal power, and. is speciallyintended to provide an implement whereby the earth or soil may be workedimmediately surrounding fruit-trees of small size where the lowerbranches are near the ground and which would otherwise interfere withthe movements of the'aninial; and it consists, essentially, in a hingedhub-like device adapted to encircle the lower part of the trunk of thetree and afford abearing for a detachable connection to the inner end ofthe cultivator-frame, which is preferably provided with a double set orseries of cultivator-teeth, means being also provided for regulating thedepth of tillage and for supporting in operative position the outer endof the cultivator and for attaching to such outer end the draft-animal,who can thus give circular motion to the cultivator-teeth around thestem or trunk of the tree without being in any wise interfered with orimpeded by the branches.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my treecultivator in operativeposition to effect a circular turning up of the soil with the tree asthe center. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the treecultivator shown in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a detail of the hinged dome-shaped hub designed to encirclethe trunk of the tree and be secured to the ground.

Like letters indicate similar parts in the different figures.

A A is a dome-shaped hublike device formed in two parts, as indicatedspecially in Fig. 3, and provided witha collar (4 and hinges a, so as topermit of the device opening up, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to be placedaround the stem or trunk of a tree when in operative position.

B is a flange formed at the bottom of said device, provided with holes 6to receive the pins 5 for the purpose of fastening the hublike deviceonto the ground after it has encircled the tree. These pins b may beconnected together by a bar, as indicated in Fig. 1, Or may be separatepins, as desired.

O is a circular band hinged at 0, so as to enable it to be placed on thecollar (0 of the hub-like device, and finds a bearing on the top of thedome-shaped device when in operative position. This circular band isdetachably secured to one end of the front tooth-bearing bar D by meansof a bolt 0 or may be detachably secured to this bar in any otherdesired manner. E is a rear tooth-bearing bar placed somewhat diagonallyto the front bearing-bar, as particularly indicated in the plan view,Fig. 2. To these front and rear bars are attached in the usual mannerthe cultivator-teeth F. These two tooth-bearing-bars are pivotallyconnected to each other by means of the links G G, which are pivoted tothe bars at g, as indicated. In order to give a diagonal set to the rearbar, these links G G are different lengths, as indicated. By thisconstruction the teeth assume the set shown in Fig. 2 and are speciallyadapted for the circular or rotary motion which is given to them whenthe tree-cultivator is in operation.

H is a removable handle secured to the rear tooth-bearing bar by meansof the socket it. This'handle is adapted for use when it is desired toraise the teeth out of the ground or when moving the cultivator from onetree to another and also when giving lateral shift to the rear bar forthe purpose of altering the position of the cultivator-teeth thereonwith respect to the front set of teeth.

I is a wheel attached to the front tooth-bearing bar near its outer orfree end. It is journaled on the forks J, which are provided with thestem J which passes through the clip 7', rigidly attached to the fronttooth-bearing bar.

4 if (shown in Fig. 2) is a pinch-nut which engages against the stem J,and by manipulating this bolt the height of the front toothbearing barabove the ground may beregulated, so as to give a greater or less depthof entrance of the teeth into the ground, as may be desired.

K is an upwardly-curved adjusting-handle which is pivoted at Z: near thefree end of the rear tooth-bearing bar. It is provided with guides 7c atits lower end and also with the pivoted arm L, which is pivoted at Z tothe end of the handle in the usual manner. The lower end of this pivotedarm L passes through the guides 71; and has at its end a dog Z, designedto engage with the tooth-detent M.

Z is a spring adapted to keep the dog Z normally engaged with thetooth-detent.

N is a runner attached to the vertically-disposed stem 0, which isadjustably fastened to the outer free end of the rear tooth-bearing barby the fastener 0. This stem is provided with the handle P.

Q is the whiflletree, pivotally secured to the outer or free end of thefront tooth-bearing bar by the pivot-bolt 7. To this whiffletree thehorse or other draft-animal is attached. It will thus be seen that asthe teeth-bearing bars may be made eight or ten feet in length thedraft-animal will be able to move in a circular direction around thetree without being interfered with in any way by the branches of thetree. When the horse draws the device around, the teeth move in circlesabout the tree as the circular band on the collar travels around thedome-shaped hub-like device which encircles the tree.

By manipulating the spring-dog l in the usual manner the dog may bedisengaged from the tooth in the detent and the rear toothbearing barmay be shifted either right or left, as may be desired, so as to moreperfectly harrow up and turn over the soil which surrounds thetree-trunk. In laterally adjusting the rear tooth-bearing bar thecentrally-disposed handle H, as well as the handle I may be utilizedafter the dog has been removed from the tooth in the detent. l/Vhen therear bar has been moved into the desired position, the dog is allowed toengage with the tooth in the detent in the usual manner.

WVhat I claim as my invention is 1. In a cultivator for trees thecombination of a hub-like device for encircling the trunk of a tree;means for detachably and revolubly securing one end of thecultivator-frame to the hub-like device; a front bar; cultivatorteethsecured to said front bar; a wheel adapted to adjustably support thefree end of the front bar; a rear bar; and cultivator-teeth secured tosaid rear bar; a pivoted link connection between the front and rearbars; and a runner adjustably secured to the free end of the rear bar,substantially as described.

2. In a cultivator for trees the combination of a hub-like device forencircling the trunk of a tree; means for detachably and revolublysecuring one end of the cultivator-frame to the hub-like device; a frontbar; cultivator-- teeth secured to said front bar; a wheel adapted toadjustably support the free end of the front bar; a whiflietreepivotally secured to the free end of the front bar; a rear bar setdiagonally to the front bar; and cultivatorteeth secured to said rearbar; a pivoted link connection between the front and rear bars; and arunner adjustably secured to the free end of the rear bar, substantiallyas described.

3. In a cultivator for trees the combination of a hinged hub-like devicefor encircling the trunk of a tree; a flange on said device adapted tobe pinned to the earth; a collar formed on said device; a circular bandmovable on said collar; a front bar detachably secured at one end tosaid circular band; cultivatorteeth secured to said front bar; a wheeladapted to adjustably support the free end of the front bar; awhiflietree pivotally secured at the free end of the front bar; a rearbar and cultivator-teeth secured to said rear bar; a pivoted linkconnection between the front and rear bars; and a runner adjustablysecured to the free end of the rear bar, substantially as specified.

l. In a cultivator for trees the combination of a hinged hub-like devicefor encircling the trunk of atree; a flange on said device adapted to bepinned to the earth; a collar formed on said device; a circular bandmovable on said collar; a front bar detachably secured at one end tosaid circular band; cultivatorteeth secured to said front bar; a wheeladapt ed to adjustably support the free end of the front bar; awhiffletree pivotally secured at the free end of the front bar; a rearbar and cultivatonteeth secured to said rear bar; a pivoted linkconnection between the front and rear bar s, giving a diagonal orconverging set to the said bars; means for giving lateral adjustment tothe rear tooth-bearing bar; and a runner adjustably secured to the freeend of the rear bar, substantially as specified.

5. In a cultivator for trees the combination of a hinged hub-like devicefor encircling the trunk of a tree; a flange on said device adapted tobe pinned to the earth; a collar formed on said device; a circular bandmovable on said collar; a front bar detachably secured at one end tosaid circular band; cultivatorteeth secured to said front bar; a wheeladapted to adjustably support the free end of the front tooth-bearingbar; a whifl'letree pivot ally secured at the free end of said frontbar; a toothed detent fixed near said free end; a rear bar andcultivator-teeth secured to said rear bar; a plurality of pivoted linksconnecting the front and rear bars, giving a diagonal IOC IIC

or converging set to said bars; a centrallydisposed handle removablysecured to the rear bar and bearing on the front bar; a runner attachedto a vertically-disposed stern provided with a handle, and adjustablysecured to the free end of the rear bar; a laterally-adjusting handle,pivotally attached near the free end-of the rear bar; a spring-dogdevice pivotally secured to said handle, and

adapted to engage with the toothed detent on 10 the front tooth-bearingbar, substantially as specified.

Toronto, August 9, 1904:.

DONALD ROBERTSON.

In presence of J. EDW. MAYBEE, P. R. JONES.

